US Judge Sentenced to Probation After Drunken-Driving Plea (2)

Michigan federal Judge Thomas L. Ludington was sentenced Wednesday to six months’ probation and ordered to pay more than $1,000 in fines and costs following his no-contest plea to a misdemeanor drunken-driving charge.

Ludington, of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, was also sentenced to 93 days in jail, with credit for two days served, but won’t serve that time unless he violates the terms of his probation, Emmet County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Schuitema said in an email. The 72-year-old judge must also attend an “alcohol highway safety class,” abstain from alcohol and drugs, submit to two alcohol tests a week, and comply with any action by the Michigan Bar Association, Schuitema said.

The sentencing in the 90th District Court follows his arrest last October, during which Michigan State Police troopers said he drove with a blood-alcohol content more than three times the legal limit.

The President George W. Bush appointee failed multiple field sobriety tests during his encounter with troopers more than two hours north of his Bay City courtroom, including one where he was asked to recite a portion of the alphabet and responded with “A, B, C, D, F, U,” according to a police report.

Ludington denied drinking anything that night and said he wasn’t sure why his airbags deployed, the report said.

He entered a no-contest plea last month, while prosecutors dropped a more serious charge of operating a motor vehicle with a blood-alcohol content of 0.17 or more. He has been on paid leave since February.

Following his plea, Ludington’s attorney said his client agreed to resolve the case so he and his family can move on and that the judge “looks forward to continuing to serve the Federal Court at the highest level and focus on his work, along with his wife and family.”

A statement his attorney, Jonathan B. Steffy of Harris Law, released Wednesday echoed Ludington’s original sentiments and said he apologized to the sentencing Judge Angela J. Lasher and the community “for the concern this issue has caused.”

Like before, Steffy said no alcohol was found in Ludington’s car, though a Luger bullet casing was on the front floor. Publicly released police reports make no mention of the casing.

Steffy also again said a behavior health therapist concluded that Ludington doesn’t meet the criteria for alcohol-abuse disorder.

“That fact, coupled with the reality that the Judge has never been in trouble with the law before, not even a parking ticket, shows that this incident was an unusual isolated event,” Steffy wrote. “Now that this case is concluded, Judge Ludington commits to continuing his career of service: focusing on his work and family.”

The case is Michigan v. Ludington, Mich. Dist. Ct., No. 2025-25-0564-SD, sentencing 5/13/26.